Your Worst Nightmare
by Manda-chan
Summary: Daidouji Misao never liked who his daughter chose to hang out with...and none irked him more than the creepy detective boy, Loki. There was more to that kid than met the eye. But he wasn't prepared for the day when the mask would finally fall... LokixMayu


It's...been awhile, hasn't it?

I doubt anyone from this fandom really remembers me, considering that I've been dead from it for over a year. But...I felt the need to come back. I have a lot of catching up to do, both in reading and writing. And I'm ready to give it a whirl. This fandom really needs more love and I'm here to offer it mine once again. Hopefully like a flower, when nurtured, perhaps it will bloom and shine even brighter than before.

Mmm... Cross-world romance. How I've missed it. And Loki is just such a fun character to write...

Yeah, if you couldn't guess by now (or know from my last MLR fic), I'm a Loki x Mayura shipper. Big time. And yes, I'm aware a lot of people greatly dislike Mayura, especially in her anime light, but that doesn't stop me. Misguided characters with weird quirks, who are even slightly annoying, have always appealed to me in some way.

It's quite simple, really. Don't like the pairing? Don't read it. :D And if you do have a soft spot for the couple...ROCK ON! SPREAD THE LOVE!

One more small note... To any of the Chrno Crusade fans that might get upset by this, well...I can't apologize. CC has plenty of love and this fandom needs that same love. Perhaps I'll continue my other stories at a later date, but I write what I'm compelled to write, not what the readers tell me to.

Now then...

This story is actually a one-shot based completely on an idea I had for an MLR doujinshi. I even started messing around with some sketches for it, but ultimately decided to write the story out, first.

**Summary**: Daidouji Misao never liked the people his daughter chose to hang out with...and none irked him more than the creepy little detective boy, Loki. There was more to that kid than met the eye. But he wasn't prepared for the day when the mask would finally fall... (LokixMayura)

**Disclaimer**: Matantei Loki Ragnarok and all of its characters do not belong to me. They are property of Sakura Kinoshita.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

**Your Worst Nightmare**

ooooooooooooooooooooo

A clear, refreshing, and blissfully calm spring day.

Simple and pleasant.

The dark-haired figure standing beside the Shrine gate sighed almost whimsically as he paused in his task of sweeping, to gaze above into the scarcely cloud-spotted azure sky. Another, more nostalgic breath, escaped his lips and his eyes softened. He could feel that _she_ was up there, watching over him and their daughter.

Daidouji Misao always favored days like this. They were comforting in a way he couldn't really explain. And he was grateful.

With the cast of a single, reassuring smile to the dome above, he returned to his work of cleaning the entrance way.

His beloved carefree daughter was off with her detective agency companions again, no doubt. The Shrine-keeper momentarily scowled at nothing in particular. He'd made it more than obvious that he never approved of them. Especially the head dectective himself.

Like the shadow a forboding and dark cloud in his perfect sky, merely the thought of that kid completely spoiled his mood.

_Loki_.

Mayura spoke of the emerald-eyed and cloaked kid often, (too often for his liking) but never really went into detail about the boy. Not even a word about his family. And his green-haired butler certainly didn't seem like his father...They looked _nothing_ alike! The cinnamon-locked boy was certainly mysterious, in more ways than one.

'_And highly unpleasant_,' his mind added, an abrupt shudder running through him at just the thought of the strange things that surrounded that kid almost like a disturbing aura.

The broom worked more feverishly over the stone path.

He didn't believe in any of that nonsense! He really didn't! But...the boy was beyond creepy, nonetheless. Not only did the green-eyed child set him offbalance, but he felt he to be frightened for his clueless offspring, as well.

Mayura was downright _blind_ to everything surrounding Loki. Even if they were just tricks the boy performed ('_Of course they were tricks!' _he quickly berated himself.), his daughter neither saw nor sensed anything even _remotely_ unusual.

His grip tensed over the handle of the broom before loosening as he dropped his head in a defeated manner. Asking Mayura to stay away from Creep-Kid and his detective agency would get him nowhere. He had quarreled with her about it more than once already. She was dead set on keeping them, and especially _him_, in her company. No matter how many times she was put in danger's reach, she remained at Loki's side, ready to accompany him on each and every "fushigi mystery" that turned up.

And the girl was more than absolutely _delighted_ to do so.

He glanced skyward again. "You see what's become of our daughter?" he asked helplessly. "Chasing these 'fushigi mysteries' with her abnormal little friends...running off into everything with just her curiosity to light the way..." The realm above didn't answer, but a chuckle escaped him. "You're proud, aren't you?"

The raven-haired man knew he was proud of his daughter, as well. She was following what she believed in, her dreams. Even if it involved people he'd prefer to keep a mile away from her...the fact remained that she was _happy_.

And that was important to him, as her father.

Maybe...for her sake...he could at least _try_ to be a little more accepting.

"Papa!"

The familiar and cheery cry provoked a small smile to his lips. '_Speak of the devil_...'

Misao Daidouji whirled around, ready to greet his daughter as she approached. "Ah, Mayura! You're back earl-**_GEH_**!"

Speak of the _devil_, indeed. The girl was ironically being led up the shrine stairway by the _last_ person he wanted to see.

"Mayura-Papa!" The reddish-brown haired boy waved his free hand, a bright smile on his young features. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Not nearly long enough..." the traditionally-robed man muttered to himself. The kid was looking far too happy for him not to suspect something. Any moment now, those nasty little..._illusions_ would materialize around him.

As the two approaching came to a stop, the ever-alert father gave a quick glance to his daughter before fixing his eyes on the miniature detective. The boy was still grinning in a fashion that suggested he was hiding something.

Daidouji Misao's eyebrow twitched. "What do you want?"

"Papa, don't be rude!" his teen offspring berated.

"Enough, Mayura." Loki raised his free hand toward her as he spoke, a halting gesture.

And Mayura, uncharateristically, _obliged_.

The dark-haired man was dumbfounded for a split second. When had his stubborn daughter openly listened to _anyone_?

He immediately decided this was somehow all due to Loki's influence, and cast furious glare downward. "She's at least_ six years_ your Senior!" he growled at the smiling detective. "What gives you the right to tell her what to do?"

The young boy's shoulders and arms lifted in a nonchalant shrug, though the irksome smile remained.

It was in that moment, that spirit-banisher noticed something odd.

"Why in the world are you still holding my daughter's hand?"

...Come to think of it, why had the troublesome boy been leading Mayura to him in the first place? Something was definitely _off_ about this whole situation.

The child genius merely continued to grin in response, though his green eyes seemed to glint with supressed mirth.

Daidouji Misao folded his arms with a smirk. "I suppose she had to lead you safely through the streets, huh? Even a kid like _you_ needs to be reassured by his elders." He nodded his head, satisfied with his own reasoning.

"Not quite, Mayura-Papa," the black-coated slueth corrected, waving a finger in a chastising manner. The father figure visibly bristled at being told off so calmly by a child, but Loki took no notice of it. "However, it _is_ connected to why I came to see you today. So here's a quiz for you: What other reasons might one have to hold another's hand?"

The Shrine head blinked. "What other...?" Almost instantly, his anger returned. "Now I'm not foolish enough to believe you're on _that_ level with my daughter, you cheeky little..." His dark eyes widened slightly. "Little..." he trailed off a second time, his eyes drifting back and forth from his daughter to the auburn-haired boy.

"M-Mayura?" he questioned hesitantly. His pink-haired daughter was blushing a rather vibrant shade of red and avoiding eye contact with him.

This was...wrong. _Not possible_.

"Oh, you're pretty sharp, Mayura-Papa," Loki praised. "You figured that out rather swiftly. I'm impressed."

Daidouji Misao appeared to be lost in a silent conflict, visibly shaking as he stared at the two of them in something akin to horror.

And then...he snapped.

"**ABSOLUTELY NOT!**" He roared. "**I _FORBID_ IT**!"

The crimson-eyed girl cringed away from her father's outburst, but a firm grip upon her hand kept her silently rooted to the spot, preventing the retreat she obviously wished to make.

"Relax," Loki voiced calmly, still smiling confidently even in the face of the hysterical father. "I assure you, there's nothing to worry about."

"Relax? _RELAX_?" The occult non-believer nearly exploded on the spot. "Do you realize how much _older _she is than you? I don't accept it! And neither will _anyone_ in the right mind!" The broom was thrown violently to the ground with a resounding clatter. "DO YOU WANT MY DAUGHTER TO GET ARRESTED?"

The boy's smile turned to a smirk. "Older? Arrested?" he scoffed. "Mayura-Papa, you misunderstand the situation here."

The elder man laughed in an almost insane manner, one of his eyes twitching uncontrollably. "Oh? Is this some kind of _joke_, detective?" he spat the last word, clearly wishing to refer to boy in a less-appealing manner.

"No," Loki stated matter-of-factly, squeezing Mayura's hand once before letting go. "I have courted your daughter," he cast a quick glance to the blushing teen before turning his forest-colored gaze back to the Shrine keeper. "...Successfully, I might add."

"_Courted_?" Daidouji Misao blurted the term distastefully. "Kids _your_ age shouldn't even have _knowledge_ of such a thing!"

"Oh?" Loki shrugged, then patted a fist into his open hand. "That's right, the age difference really set you off, didn't it?"

"It's completely immoral and just plain _wrong, _at this point in time!" the robe-clad man yelled with a stamp of one foot. "_Unacceptable_!"

"Heh..." The boy's smirk widened as he cast a wink to the fretful father. "I told you there was nothing to worry about, Mayura-Papa. When will you learn to listen?"

Daidouji Misao swallowed suddenly, feeling a chill race down his spine. His sixth-sense picked up a very strange aura that had surfaced from the young detective.

And he had a distinctly _bad_ feeling about it.

Slowly, the boy's right hand ascended from it's position at his side, until it was level before his mischevious green eyes.

With a quick and distinct snap of his fingers, the grinning detective was completely engulfed by puffs of what looked like red smoke.

The shrine host was taken offguard from the display at first, until a throbbing vein in his temple caused him to snap again. "Damn magic tricks! You'd better not be running away you little..." He trailed off on the same word again, as the smoke cleared silently away from a sillouhette that was somehow...not what he'd expected to see.

The figure standing amid the remnants of the misty crimson trails was not the same boy that had been there before. In fact, it wasn't a _boy_, at all.

Unmistakably, a _young man _now stood where the little boy had been just moments before.

Daidouji Misao took a shaky step back. "W-Who the hell are you?" he choked out, his body halting retreat as it seemed to grow numb.

A very familiar smirk formed across the unidentified man's lips, amusement playing like fire in his eyes. "As you can clearly see, I'm _not a child at all_, Mayura-Papa."

_Slightly long locks of auburn-red hair, glinting emerald eyes, a large coat with a ribbon adorned at the collar..._

The startled spirit-banisher shook his head back and forth, falling onto his posterior as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, lost for words.

But he could hear his own voice within his head. Taunting him.

_This man is Loki. _

_This man is **Loki**._

The auburn-haired man seemed _far_ too elated with the reaction. "Suprised you, didn't I?" he spoke almost gleefully. "Gave Mayura quite a shake-up at first, too."

Daidouji Misao could only stare in utter shock.

"I suppose an explanation is in order?" the older form of Loki offered lightly. He paused, waiting for an answer or reaction of some sort, but the father appeared to be stuck with his expression screwed into silent horror and disbelief.

The emerald-eyed detective straightened out his ribbon. "Might as well come right out with it, then."

The Shrine guardian swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He wanted to know more about the kid (even if that was a distinctly inadequate way to refer to him at this point), and there couldn't possibly be anything worse ahead, could there?

"_I am a God_."

Ha..._HAH_? His hearing was going. Side-effect of old age. It _must_ be. Or perhaps the guy was playing a really mean practical joke. Daidouji Misao decided it must be the latter.

...And promptly burst out laughing.

Loki seemed to join right into the bought of laughter and Misao felt reassured.

That is, until he realized the lack of mirth in the young man's voice. His own laughter came to a jarring halt, as did the fake laughter across from him.

And the god-damned young man was _still_ smiling in a cruelly-amused way.

"Oh, I'm very serious, Mayura-Papa," the growth-induced detective stated. "And not just _any_ God, either."

Raising a single finger into the air, Loki summoned a flame to burst forth from the tip, eliciting a slight squeal from the unusually quiet girl beside him and causing the non-believer to jump backward in shock, nearly losing balance when one of his hands slipped.

"It's your lucky day, Mayura-Papa," Loki grinned broadly, obviously pleased with himself and his display. "You have met and become accquainted with the one-and-only God of Fire and Trickery of the Norse legend..._Jashin Loki_."

This was crazier than _anything_ from Mayura's mystery fantasies and obnoxious beliefs.

And somehow, in the deepest reaches of his fear-ridden and non-beliving heart, the raven-haired shrine owner knew every word of it was true. He originally hadn't believed in any of the rubbish of the God legends and spirits and all the other paranormal or otherworldly activity before. Researched it? Yes. He knew all about it. All about it...

...Wait a minute.

"Jashin Loki?" he finally spoke, though his voice came out no more than a squeak more befitting of little girl.

"In the flesh," the handsome auburn-haired man mock-bowed. "Do you know about me, Mayura-Papa?" He seemed to read the older man's trail of terrified thoughts that ensued, as though they ran across his forehead in bold lettering, and grinned devilishly. "I suppose I should be _honored_."

Loki then whirled away from him, briskly turning his attentions toward the silent observer. "Why so quiet, Mayura?" he teased, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her close as he laid a gentle kiss upon her forehead. "This isn't like you."

The girl's reddish eyes seemed to fill with unshed tears as she willingly melted into his embrace. "I'm afraid Papa won't accept you," she voiced softly, one hand rising to clasp around his free hand.

"It'll be fine," the green-eyed man assured her cooly. "Who could oppose a God?"

Daidouji Misao had finally managed to rise back to his feet during their exchange, his features set into something that mirrored determination, although he was still visibly disturbed. "Mayura. Get away from that man."

"Papa?" she questioned, pulling back from Loki's embrace just enough to catch sight of her father.

"You heard me," he repeated as levelly as he could manage.

The teen hesitantly brushed a lock of soft pink hair from eyes, casting a quick glance to the adult detective, before hardening her resolve as her eyes landed upon her father again. "I'm sorry, Papa, but I can't."

"Mayura..." he warned, taking a step closer. "Do you have any idea who..._what_ this man is? What he's _done_? What he's _going to do_?"

The mystery-maniac nodded, causing the elder man's eyes to broaden.

His daughter _knew_, and yet she...she seemed completely at _ease_ with the man?

After a moment of heavy silence, the Shrine keeper spoke again, only managing a choked, "...Why?"

To further his shock, his daughter smiled gently back at him, cuddling closer to Loki in the process. "I love him, Papa."

_Your daughter is in love with God of Chaos. No biggie. He only has a few literally monstrous children of his own, a wife, a Mistress or three... This kind of thing happens to parents everyday!_

"You still haven't listened, Mayura-Papa," Loki chastised in the mocking manner he had done much earlier in his child form. "I said _not to worry_."

"How can I not worry?" Daidouji Misao demanded, gesturing toward the two of them with wildly-waving hands. He was truly surprised the whole ordeal had yet to give him a heart-attack.

"Because..." Loki trailed off, stepping slightly behind Mayura as he unlaced their hands and moved to cross his free arm over her front, the newly unbound hand playing with the collar of her shirt, other arm then tightening around her waist, and his head lowering to rest comfortably on her shoulder.

The emerald eyes, however, were narrowed and half-lidded, partially obsuring the firey glint from sight as they remained focussed on the fretful father. And the smirk upon auburn-red-haired man's features widened to an almost evil-looking smile.

"I will take **_very_** good care of your daughter," he slurred in a deep, almost seductive tone, the hand at her collar pushing a button free from the top of her blouse. "She's in..._trustworthy_ hands."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**!"

The scream reverberated in the enclosed area as the figure bolted straight up, breathing heavily, silently willing the area around him to stop spinning.

After a moment, his eyes began to focus.

Room. Blankets. Bed.

A breath of intense relief fell through his open lips.

It was just a dream.

'_Bloody nightmare...' _he corrected mentally.

Rubbing a hand over his raven-colored, thinning hair, he glanced around his bedroom. Judging by the brightness, it was already midday. Had he really slept so long?

His chocolate-colored eyes caught sight of the bowl sitting on his bedside table and widened in realization.

He had come down with a fever earlier that day. Mayura had ushered him to his bedroom and told him to get some rest to recover, stubborning refusing his protests that he was fine.

Fumbling around his bed, his hand finally met the damp cloth that had been placed upon his forehead to help ease intensity of the heat the fever caused. He smiled fondly upon it as he draped the heavy fabric over the edge of the water bowl.

His daughter had taken care of him.

And had most certainly _not_ fallen in love with the God of Chaos and Fire.

Daidouji Misao ran a hand over his forehead. It must have been a powerful fever to induce a dream anywhere near that bizarre and horrible.

A knock suddenly sounded against the wooden frame of the shoji door.

"Papa?" came the familiar voice of his only offspring. "Are you alright? I heard a scream..."

She sounded rather...timid. He must have worried her. "I'm fine, Mayura," he assured in a fatherly fashion.

"Really?" she questioned, then paused a moment, before continuing hesitantly. "I hope so, Papa, because...I have something to tell you."

The fever-ridden shrine host felt a stab of forboding, but quickly shook it off. He just needed to _forget_ about that damn nightmare as soon as possible. Paranoia wasn't healthy, especially at his age.

"You can come in."

The door slid open. And to his immediate horror, Mayura stepped in, _hand-in-hand _with the minature detective.

_This is not happening..._

"Actually, Papa..." the girl's voice became even smaller, the familiar pink hue lighting up her cheeks. "_We_ have something to tell you..."

_This is **not** happening..._

"We're really sorry that we didn't tell you sooner..." she continued, her crimson eyes trailing upon the floor.

_**NOT. HAPPENING. **_

"Loki-kun and I...We...!"

And at that precise moment, Daidouji Misao fainted dead away, flopping back onto his bed.

"Papa!"

"Mayura-Papa!"

Both simultaneous cries were lost to the poor man.

His daughter immediately rushed to his side, laying a hand upon his forehead. "Ah! His fever went up again!"

"Must have caused him to faint," the young detective shrugged.

After re-drenching the cloth and applying it back to her father's enflamed forehead, Mayura backed away from the bed and cast a wary glance to the emerald-eyed boy beside her, biting her lip taughtly.

"...Guess we'd better not tell him that we broke his motorcycle afterall, Loki-kun."

"He'll find out eventually," the auburn-haired boy shrugged again. "About the motorcycle...among other things..." he grinned silently toward the sleeping form on the bed.

Mayura blinked. "Other things, Loki-kun?"

Turning back to clueless pink-haired wonder, he grinned broadly. "It's nothing, Mayura. Just talking to myself."

The crimson-eyed girl cocked her head to the side. "Loki-kun is weird, sometimes..."

Taking the girl's hand in his once more, he led her out of the room, still smiling in his own secret manner.

One day, the truth _would_ come forth.

It would be a seemingly simple...and pleasant day.

Loki looked forward to that day. Complicating things was just one of his many, many talents.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I suppose it's pretty easy to tell that I had a blast writing this, isn't it? XD

This was like torture to poor Mayura-Papa. I almost feel bad about it. _Almost_.

Ah, refreshing. So refreshing to write something comedic. I think I can sleep peacefully now. I've been wanting to get this fully written out for almost a week. The idea was just killing me, _begging_ to be written. Oh, and I apologize for any gramatical and spelling errors. All I have to work with is WordPad. But I tried read it over many times to catch the mistakes if I could.

I know Mayura was very OOC through most of it. Being so quiet...but that was in her father's dream, so I thought it would be okay. And...she's not quite as talkative and bubbly around Loki's true form, either. XD hehe But I hope you accept my bits of what you might consider OOC. ...Fevers really can induce the strangest and most cracked dreams of all.

Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed it, despite how dead I've been from this fandom.

And please review if you can spare the time! I greatly appreciate the feedback.

Thank you for reading.


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